The Sun Devils would face San Jose State on the final day of the MPSF tournament, falling 9-8 in their final game of the season Sunday.
San Jose would win the sprint to start off the game, but their first shot attempt would be saved by redshirt junior goalkeeper E.B. Keeve.
Keeve would be putting on a show early, recording three saves in the first two minutes.
ASU would gain a six-on-five, and sophomore attacker Izabella Chiappini would capitalize, scoring the first goal of the game, putting the Sun Devils up 1-0 with over five minutes remaining in the first period.
San Jose State would gain their own six-on-five opportunity, and would fire one past Keeve to tie the game up at one with four minutes remaining in the period.
Head coach Todd Clapper would call timeout with less than three minutes remaining in the period.
San Jose State would score again with a little over two minute remaining in the period, giving them a one point lead. Chiappini would respond on the next possession, scoring her second goal of the game, tying it up at two.
The teams would go into the second period tied at two. San Jose State would win the sprint once again, but their shot attempt would bounce off the crossbar.
ASU would find themselves at a disadvantage as San Jose State was awarded the six-on-five opportunity, but due to stellar defense, Chiappini would come back in, only to find the team have a momentary defensive lapse, where San Jose State would find the back of the net. On the next possession, San Jose State would score again, giving them a two point lead.
Chiappini would try to return the favor, only for her shot to end up in the hands of the goalie, which led to a fast break by San Jose State with only Keeve to beat. San Jose State would shoot a nifty lob shot that would sail over Keeve to give them a three point lead, with the scoreboard reading 5-2 with five minutes remaining. This would be San Jose State’s largest lead of the game.
“We had some defensive breakdowns, and some people that weren't helping,” Clapper said. “Our communication throughout the whole game wasn't great on defense, but we knew that we were going to chip away...I feel like if we had played better defensively in the second half with a little bit more passion, we would have stopped a couple of those and it would have been a different outcome.”
Freshman attacker Lena Mihailovic would score for the Devils at the 4:41 mark, cutting the deficit to just two points.
Clapper would call another timeout with 3:52 remaining in the half.
Junior attacker Daisy Carter would find the back of the net with a little over two minutes remaining in the half, brining ASU within one point.
The half would end with ASU making a comeback, trailing by just one at halftime.
San Jose State would win the sprint to gain the first possession of the second half, but their shot would hit the top of the crossbar and go out of bounds.
Chiappini would shoot a beautiful chip shot which found the back of the net, and would tie the game back up at five with less than six minutes remaining in the quarter.
“I think she was great,” Clapper said. “That is what we look for from a top player. Do the work you need to do with the team, but then when they are going to make the mistake of leaving you open you punish them for it. She did a good job of it today.”
Freshman Utility Kayla Casas would score her first goal of the game with less than five minutes remaining, with the Sun Devils finally gaining the lead.
San Jose State would tie it back up with for minutes remaining on the period.
Freshman attacker Claudia Abad would score her first goal with a little over two minutes remaining in the period to put the Sun Devils back up by one, but the lead would be short lived as San Jose State would score in the next possession.
The score would be tied at seven heading into the final period of play, with both teams refusing to give up, and responding to every goal.
ASU would allow San Jose State to win the sprint, and San Jose State would score off a behind-the-back shovel shot, giving them a one-point lead to start off the fourth quarter.
Mihailovic would score her second goal of the game at a crucial time, tying the game up at eight with three minutes remaining in regulation, but San Jose would respond in kind, scoring yet another goal seconds afterward to take back their one point lead.
With 1:10 remaining in regulation, San Jose would use their last timeout. As the seconds dwindled, ASU would bring the ball up the pool, but would be hard pressed to make anything happen, forcing Clapper to use his final timeout.
The final 25 seconds would be the some of the hardest fought seconds that ASU had played all season long, full of intensity. Fighting to stay alive, the Sun Devils desperately were looking for a goal. but with two seconds remaining, they would get a difficult shot off, which would be deflected by the goalie, and the whistle was blown.
“We scored some, but there were some people that when they got the ball, they froze a little bit, and instead of being able to make the pass or take the shot, they froze,” Clapper said. “Every body in that six-on-five has to want that ball. I feel like there were some people who really stepped up in some crucial moments."
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or follow @MarcTSteiner on Twitter.
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